“Ah, action at last,” Jack said, smacking his hands together. “I’m done eating, so let’s hit the road, Harry. How long will it take us to get there, Pearl?”

“About a half hour depending on traffic.” She immediately started to write down the directions on a sheet of paper she ripped from a legal tablet. She handed it over to Jack, who quickly read through them. “Appreciate the map, Pearl. I know where this is, actually. I had a couple of witnesses who lived in that general area during my second stint as a prosecutor. Guess we’ll see you when we see you. Sorry to be leaving the cleanup to all of you.”

“Yeah, Kathryn and I are sorry, too. See y’all in a bit.” Nikki laughed as she reached down for her shoulder bag.

“I guess that means the rest of us go back to the war room and see what else we can come up with,” Myra said.

“Not so fast! Fergus and I prepared lunch. We do not do cleanup. We’ll just sit here and have another glass of tea while you tidy up my kitchen.”

“What about dinner?” Annie grumbled. “I didn’t see any preparations under way.”

“That’s because we will be barbecuing. Dennis agreed to it when he arrived. Now, shoo! Let Fergus and me sit here and digest our lunch.”

The parking lot was huge, and Nikki had no problem finding a parking space. The moment she cut off the engine, Kathryn looked at her, then at the eight-floor glass-and-steel building. “Guess tabloid journalism really pays. In the Know uses all eight floors.”

“That’s because it’s a political-scandal rag. Everyone wants to know all the politicians’ dirty little secrets. They aren’t really into the Hollywood scene, like most of the tabloids, unless there’s some politician involved. Think about it, Kathryn, gossip- and scandal-wise, it doesn’t get any better than when one of the world’s top models, who just happens to be married to Lincoln Moss, hits the gossip circuit.”

Kathryn got out of the car and waited for Nikki to lock it. She hopped around for a few minutes, aware that Nikki was watching her. “Yeah, it hurts. No sense lying about it. Now that the dampness is lifting, and the sun is out, it’s not aching as bad. Before you can ask, I don’t know what I’m going to do. Between you and me, Nikki, I think I’m allergic to this damn titanium bar they put in my leg. They say no. It’s my leg, but I’m seriously considering having it taken out and letting the leg heal on its own. So I walk with a limp for the rest of my life, so what. I always thought I was tough, but the pain is really getting to me. The therapy just aggravates the whole deal. I’m fed up. Okay, enough of my whining. Let’s go see what the dude who runs this paper can tell us.”

Nikki linked her arm with Kathryn’s as a show of moral support. “It goes without saying, Kathryn, that if there’s anything I can do, and I know I speak for the others, just ask. You have to ask, Kathryn. Can you do that?”